Playoffs set: Giants drop Padres, Braves go wild

The San Francisco Giants greet fans while taking a victory lap around AT&T Park at the end of their baseball game against the San Diego Padres in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. San Francisco won the game 3-0 to win the National League West Division title. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
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The San Francisco Giants greet fans while taking a victory lap around AT&T Park at the end of their baseball game against the San Diego Padres in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. San Francisco won the game 3-0 to win the National League West Division title. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
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Tampa Bay Rays' B.J. Upton, left, and Randy Choate, right, celebrate in the clubhouse after winning the American League East championship following a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals in a baseball game Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)— AP

Tampa Bay Rays' B.J. Upton, left, and Randy Choate, right, celebrate in the clubhouse after winning the American League East championship following a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals in a baseball game Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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Tampa Bay Rays' Joaquin Benoit, right, and Sean Rodriguez celebrate in the clubhouse after after winning the National League East championship following a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals in a baseball game Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)— AP

Tampa Bay Rays' Joaquin Benoit, right, and Sean Rodriguez celebrate in the clubhouse after after winning the National League East championship following a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals in a baseball game Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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San Francisco Giants Eli Whiteside, left, and Travis Ishikawa charge the field after beating the San Diego Padres 3-0 to clinch the NL West, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010 in San Francisco. At right are Brian Wilson (38) and Buster Posey. (AP Photo/George Nikitin)— AP

San Francisco Giants Eli Whiteside, left, and Travis Ishikawa charge the field after beating the San Diego Padres 3-0 to clinch the NL West, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010 in San Francisco. At right are Brian Wilson (38) and Buster Posey. (AP Photo/George Nikitin)
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San Francisco Giants' Emmanuel Burriss, left, and Darren Ford celebrate after beating the San Diego Padres 3-0 to win the NL West in a baseball game in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. The Giants won 3-0 to clinch the NL West. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)— AP

San Francisco Giants' Emmanuel Burriss, left, and Darren Ford celebrate after beating the San Diego Padres 3-0 to win the NL West in a baseball game in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. The Giants won 3-0 to clinch the NL West. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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San Francisco Giants' Pablo Sandoval celebrates after the final out of the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. The Giants won 3-0 to clinch the NL West. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)— AP

San Francisco Giants' Pablo Sandoval celebrates after the final out of the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. The Giants won 3-0 to clinch the NL West. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, left, shakes hands with fans and Giants chief operating officer Larry Baer, second from right, at the end of their baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. San Francisco won the game 3-0 to win the National League West Division title. (AP Photo/George Nikitin)— AP

San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, left, shakes hands with fans and Giants chief operating officer Larry Baer, second from right, at the end of their baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. San Francisco won the game 3-0 to win the National League West Division title. (AP Photo/George Nikitin)
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Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Chad Qualls slides on the clubhouse floor as he is doused with champagne after winning the American League East championship following a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals in a baseball game Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)— AP

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Chad Qualls slides on the clubhouse floor as he is doused with champagne after winning the American League East championship following a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals in a baseball game Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, right, leaps in the air and the San Diego Padres pinch hitter Will Venable, left, walks off the field at the end of their baseball game against the San Diego Padres in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. San Francisco won the game 3-0 to win the National League West Division title. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)— AP

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, right, leaps in the air and the San Diego Padres pinch hitter Will Venable, left, walks off the field at the end of their baseball game against the San Diego Padres in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. San Francisco won the game 3-0 to win the National League West Division title. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
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Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Peter Moylan celebrates after the Braves became the NL wild-card team Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010, in Atlanta. The Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6; then, the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 3-0, giving the Braves the wild card by one game over the Padres. (AP Photo/John Bazemore,pool )— AP

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Peter Moylan celebrates after the Braves became the NL wild-card team Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010, in Atlanta. The Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6; then, the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 3-0, giving the Braves the wild card by one game over the Padres. (AP Photo/John Bazemore,pool )
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San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval, right, picks up center fielder Andres Torres, left, at the end of their baseball game against the San Diego Padres in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. San Francisco won the game 3-0 to win the National League West Division title. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)— AP

San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval, right, picks up center fielder Andres Torres, left, at the end of their baseball game against the San Diego Padres in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010. San Francisco won the game 3-0 to win the National League West Division title. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
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A flurry of tiebreakers, that might've been fun for fans. For the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves, a guaranteed spot in the playoffs was just fine.

What could've turned into a real tangle of a postseason picture suddenly became clear Sunday: Manager Bobby Cox and his wild-card Braves will face the Giants, while the San Diego Padres are finished.

"We try hard," Cox said after beating the Philadelphia Phillies. "This team is the hardest-working, hardest-trying team we've ever had here."

Major League Baseball was looking at the possibility of a three-team, two-day, coast-to-coast set of tiebreakers to sort out all the postseason slots. Instead, for the first time in four years, the regular season ended with Game No. 162.

The first round was set when Jonathan Sanchez and the Giants eliminated the Padres 3-0 to win the NL West. Philadelphia and Cincinnati will meet in the other NL division series.

Tampa Bay clinched the AL East when the World Series champion New York Yankees lost at Boston 8-4. That sent the Rays back home to open the playoffs against Texas, while the wild-card Yankees will start their best-of-five series at Minnesota.

The action begins Wednesday afternoon at Tropicana Field, followed by games at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Target Field in the Twin Cities. The banged-up Braves visit Tim Lincecum and the Giants at AT&T Park on Thursday night.

"We're probably not expected to do well," said Braves ace Tim Hudson, wearing a T-shirt with "Wild Card" across the front.

No matter, Cox is in the postseason yet again. At 69, he's retiring after this season. And his Braves went 4-3 against the Giants this year.

Cox guided Atlanta to 14 consecutive division titles from 1991-2005, but only one World Series championship during that run in 1995. He and the Braves are back in the postseason after a four-year absence.

The Giants' win simplified the playoff scenario. Had they lost, the Giants, Padres and Braves would've all finished 91-71, forcing one tiebreaker in San Diego on Monday for the NL West title and another Tuesday in Atlanta for the wild card.

The Giants make their first postseason appearance since 2003, when the team was built around Barry Bonds.

"Versus the past when we lived and died with one superstar player, there aren't any superstars on this team. There might be a couple rising stars," Giants general manager Brian Sabean said.

Hudson and his teammates saw the Giants' victory on TV in their clubhouse. A few hundred fans stayed past a postgame REO Speedwagon concert at Turner Field to watch on the video board, and chanted "Bobby! Bobby!" while watching the Braves celebrate.

The Yankees and Tampa Bay started the day at 95-66, with both teams already guaranteed playoff spots. To win the AL East, the Yankees needed to finish ahead of the Rays, who held the tiebreaker after winning the season series 10-8.